Posted
by
Hemos
on Monday April 03, 2006 @09:00AM
from the two-party-system?-never-heard-of-it dept.

CrystalFalcon writes "Linux-P2P has published an interview with Rick Falkvinge, leader of the Swedish Pirate Party which is aiming to gain entry to Swedish Parliament this fall. (The party's founding was previously covered on Slashdot.) The party is totally for real, totally serious, and has seen approval ratings of 57% in some polls, with only four percent needed to gain seats. Its goals are to cut back copyrights, abolish patents, and strengthen the right to privacy."

Four percent across the country may not sound like much, but if the left- and right-wing blocks get 48% each, like they typically do, then the Pirate Party will hold the balance of power. And that is a very good bargaining chip.
(In the last election, the Green Party achieved this position, counting in at 4.2% in the election, and they got basically everything they wanted.)

So 4% of the vote gets you 100% of the power... sounds like a great democratic system.

1) I did reply to your statement that the US system is not democracy. My point was that change is difficult, does not allow for 3rd parties, but has the benefit of moderating the two parties in charge, and therefore the laws that are passed.

2) I did not do ad hominem. I simply summarized your argument in an unflattering manner in order to attack it. ad hominem is when you attack the person, but perhaps your too stupid to understand that.

3) The biggest problem with everyone who's responded, is that they see moderate and think that means 'more center politically' which to them means 'more liberal'. My point is that the US system does a better job at finding the political center of the population.